British Film Industry

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial assistance the UK Government has provided to the British film industry in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave on 7 December 2005, Official Report, column 1323W to the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess).

Child Tax Credit

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the additional costs arising from changes to the childcare tax credit over the next three years.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government want families to be able to afford flexible, high quality child care that is appropriate for their needs. Therefore, the 2004 pre-Budget report announced that:
	the limits of the child care element of the working tax credit would be increased to £300 a week (£175 for one child) from April 2005; and
	the maximum proportion of costs that can be claimed would increase from 70 per cent. to 80 per cent. from April 2006.
	The costs of these measures were published in table B4, p201, in the 2004 pre-Budget report.

Company Regulations

Ian Davidson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the meetings held between his Department and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister at which the decision to remove the obligation on businesses to publish operating and financial reviews was discussed.

Ivan Lewis: In line with the Government's commitment to simplifying company law and reducing the regulatory burden on business, the Government have decided to replace the requirement for quoted companies to produce a statutory Operating and Financial Review with a requirement to produce an enhanced Business Review. This aligns the reporting requirements of quoted companies with the requirements of the European Accounts Modernisation Directive and demonstrates the Government's ongoing commitment to strategic forward-looking narrative reporting.
	The Chancellor consulted with ministerial colleagues prior to making this decision. There were no meetings between the Treasury and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on this issue.

Death Rate (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the death rate was for (a) cancer and (b) heart disease in (i) Lancashire, (ii) the North West and (iii) Chorley in the last period for which figures are available.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 13 December 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what the death rate was for (a) cancer and (b) heart disease in (i) Lancashire, (ii) the North West and (iii) Chorley in the last period for which figures are available. I am replying in her absence. (36772)
	The latest year for which the figures requested are available is 2004. These are given in the attached table.
	
		Death rates(8) from cancer and coronary heart disease(9) in the county of Lancashire,3,4 North West government office region and the local authority of Chorley,(11) 2004 Age standardised death rates per 100,000 population(8)
		
			  Cancer Coronary heart disease 
		
		
			 Lancashire 195 123 
			 North West 195 131 
			 Chorley 199 124 
		
	
	(8) Rates per 100,000 population standardised to the European Standard Population.
	(9) The cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The codes used are listed as follows:
	Cancer (malignant neoplasms)—ICD-10 C00-C97;
	Coronary Heart Disease—ICD-10 120–125.
	Deaths were selected from those registered in 2004 using the original underlying cause.
	(10) The figures provided relate to the current county of Lancashire. This excludes the unitary authorities of Blackburn and Darwen, and Blackpool, created in 1998, which were part of the former county.
	(11) Usual residents of these areas.

Defined Benefit Schemes

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the factors affecting a change in tax relief on pension contributions going into defined benefit schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Following extensive consultation the Government are introducing a single regime for the taxation of pensions with a single set of rules for all pensions schemes, including defined benefit schemes, from 6 April 2006 There will be two key controls within the new system—a lifetime allowance—initially set at £1.5 million and an annual allowance, initially set at £215,000.
	The impact of any further change for defined benefit schemes would depend on a number of factors such as the specific funding, demographic and accruals of any individual scheme.

Defined Benefit Schemes

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much (a) higher rate tax relief and (b) basic rate tax relief was applied to (i) defined benefit private sector schemes, (ii) defined benefit public sector schemes and (iii) approved pension schemes in the last year for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne) on 24 October 2005, Official Report, column 52W.
	It is not possible to provide such a breakdown for defined benefit private sector schemes or defined benefit public sector schemes.

Departmental Guidance (Evidence/Documentary Access)

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is with regard to (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department giving evidence to the (i) Scottish Parliament, (ii) National Assembly for Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland Assembly committees; and to what categories of document he gives (A) full access, (B) restricted access and (C) no access to the (1) Scottish Parliament, (2) National Assembly for Wales, (3) Northern Ireland Assembly and (4) House of Commons select committees.

John Healey: Requests for Treasury Ministers or officials to give oral or written evidence to the devolved legislatures are considered on a case by case basis. Account is taken of the principles set out in the Cabinet Office guidance "Departmental Evidence and Response to Select Committees" (July 2005), the policy outlined in the Department for Constitutional Affairs' Devolution Guidance Note No.12 "Attendance of UK Ministers and Officials at Committees of the Devolved Legislatures" and the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. The principles governing the provision of information to select committees of the House of Commons are contained in "Departmental Evidence and Response to Select Committees", particularly sections 4B and 4C.

Departmental Relocation

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many departmental civil service jobs have been relocated to Scotland in each year since 2001.

Des Browne: Details of the number of departmental civil service jobs relocated to Scotland by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) prior to April 2004 are not available.
	In delivering against its commitment to relocate jobs following the report by Sir Michael Lyons, HMRC have moved 44 posts from London and the South East to Scotland since April 2004.
	HM Treasury ha s not relocated any posts to Scotland in the years in question.

e-Government

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Revenue and Customs has taken in the last 12 months in conjunction with the US Administration to advance electronic government.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC is a member of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and an active participant in the Forum on Tax Administration's Taxpayer Services group. Through this forum, we share information and best practice with other fiscal authorities including the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
	In addition, in July 2005 I asked Lord Carter of Coles to advise Ministers on measures to further increase the use of HMRC's key online services, building on his previous review of payroll services.
	During the course of the review, Lord Carter and his team met a wide range of customers and agents, and spoke to those overseas tax authorities where there are high levels of online filing and some interesting and innovative approaches. This included discussions with the US Internal Revenue Service.
	Lord Carter has completed his review but wishes to assess the progress of HMRC's online services over the next few months, before finalising his conclusions by early spring 2006.

Science Cities

Ian Gibson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to increase the number of science cities.

John Healey: In the 2004 pre-Budget report and in Budget 2005, the Government supported plans by the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) to develop six "science cities" in Manchester, Newcastle, York, Birmingham, Nottingham, and Bristol. These science cities are developing plans that respond to their particular strengths in terms of research and economic development. It is for RDAs to take the lead role in identifying science cities and detailed implementation plans, in line with their wider strategies for regional economic development, science and innovation.

Tax Returns

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the loss of tax revenue in a year consequent on errors in tax returns; and what guidance he (a) has issued and (b) plans to issue to reduce the number of such errors.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC assesses the accuracy of filed returns using its automated risk assessment system and through an annual random inquiry programme. This was reported in the NAO report "Filing of Income Tax Self- Assessment Returns" that was published on 22 June 2005 and can be found on the NAO's website at http://www.nao.org.uk/.
	HMRC helps taxpayers file accurate returns through the information and support available on its website, telephone call centres and helplines, inquiry centres, written guidance, and through its tax offices. HMRC's enabling programme seeks to improve the accuracy of future tax returns through targeted intervention and guidance.

Energy Needs

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the First Minister on Scotland's energy needs for winter 2005–06.

Alistair Darling: I have regular discussions with the First Minister on a range of issues.

Community Law Centres

Diana Johnson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the role of community law centres.

Bridget Prentice: Community law centres play a key role in helping some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in society. Their benefit to local communities is made possible by committed and dedicated staff.

Union of Democratic Mineworkers (Industrial Injury Claims)

John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans she has to regulate the activities of the Union of Democratic Mineworkers as a claims handler for industrial injuries.

Bridget Prentice: The Compensation Bill will provide the legislative framework to introduce the statutory regulation of claims management activities. We intend to use the secondary legislation to exempt trade unions regulated by the Certification Officer from the new provisions, probably subject to conditions such as having regard to the regulators code of practice. Any claims management company established, owned or run by a trade union would not be included in any exemption.

Milk Price

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average retail price is of a litre of milk in the (a) UK and (b) each EU member state; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Average retail prices per litre of milk from 1975 to 1993 are shown in the following table. More recent prices of milk are only available from the statistical offices in the member states and would take disproportionate cost to collate.
	
		Average retail price per litre of milk in the UK, and selected EU member states
		
			 Currency 
			  UK(15) Germany(16) France (Paris)(16) Italy (Rome)(16) Netherlands(16) Belgium(16) 
			  Pence Dm FF Lit Fl BF 
		
		
			 1975 12.0 1.0 1.4 235 0.9 12.8 
			 1976 15.0 1.0 1.6 256 1.0 13.2 
			 1977 19.3 1.1 1.8 337 1.0 15.5 
			 1978 22.4 1.1 1.9 390 1.1 16.5 
			 1979 26.0 1.1 2.1 410 1.1 16.8 
			 1980 30.0 1.1 2.4 480 1.2 17.3 
			 1981 33.0 1.2 2.6 644 1.3 16.3 
			 1982 35.2 1.2 3.0 788 1.4 18.1 
			 1983 37.0 1.3 3.5 894 1.4 20.2 
			 1984 38.7 1.2 3.8 964 1.4 21.3 
			 1985 40.5 1.2 4.1 1040 1.4 22.9 
			 1986 42.0 1.2 4.4 1103 1.4 23.6 
			 1987 44.0 1.2 4.6 1120 1.3 24.4 
			 1988 46.0 1.2 4.6 1142 1.3 24.2 
			 1989 49.0 1.2 4.9 1250 1.4 25.4 
			 1990 55.0 1.3 5.2 1397 1.4 26.0 
			 1991 56.0 1.3 5.4 1529 1.4 25.9 
			 1992 60.0 1.3 5.7 1631 1.4 24.9 
			 1993 60.0 1.3 5.4 1631 1.4 25.7 
			 1994 63.0 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1995 63.0 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1996 63.0  n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1997 62.0 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1998 60.0 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1999 60.0 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2000 60.0 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2001 65.0 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2002 63.0 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2003 65.0 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2004 62.0 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  Currency 
			  Luxembourg(16) Irish Republic(16) Denmark(16) Greece(16) Portugal(16) 
			  LF Pence Dkr Dr Esc 
		
		
			 1975 15.5 7.5 2.2 n/a n/a 
			 1976 17.3 7.0 2.3 n/a n/a 
			 1977 18.0 8.0 2.7 n/a n/a 
			 1978 18.0 8.0 2.8 n/a n/a 
			 1979 18.0 11.5 3.0 n/a n/a 
			 1980 18.0 13.0 3.2 n/a n/a 
			 1981 19.3 15.0 3.6 32.9 n/a 
			 1982 20.8 15.0 4.2 37.1 n/a 
			 1983 24.0 15.0 4.6 42.8 24.6 
			 1984 26.0 19.0 4,4 49.0 37.1 
			 1985 26.0 22.5 5.8 62.5 48.0 
			 1986 27.0 24.0 5.7 79.4 54.4 
			 1987 28.5 27.0 5.6 84.4 59.2 
			 1988 28.5 28.0 5.7 87.9 60.0 
			 1989 30.5 31.0 6.1 106.0 60.0 
			 1990 30.5 32.0 6.3 125.9 86.4 
			 1991 32.0 54.0 6.2 145.8 93.3 
			 1992 33.0 55.6 6.1 187.6 99.2 
			 1993 33.0 58.0 5.5 n/a n/a 
			 1994 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1995 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1996 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1997 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1998 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1999 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2000 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2001 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2002 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2003 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2004 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	n/a = price not available.
	(15) Annual average price for one litre of shop bought milk and one litre of delivered milk.
	(16) Price as at January.
	Sources:
	(17) Office for National Statistics—Average consumer prices
	(18) Milk Marketing Board EEC Dairy Facts and Figures. 1979, 1982, 1986 and 1993

Driving Test

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average waiting time for a driving test was in the last period for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The national average waiting time for a practical car driving test was six weeks on 5 December 2005.

Speed Cameras

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 29 November 2005, Official Report, column 328W, on speed cameras, for what reasons the number of safety camera partnerships increased between 2000–01 and 2003–04; what assessment he has made of whether they have been effective in reducing the number of road traffic injuries; and how the revenue of fines from safety cameras that was not spent on safety measures was spent in each year from 2000–01 to 2004–05.

Stephen Ladyman: The increase in the number of safety camera partnerships between 2000–01 and 2003–04 was due to the safety camera programme rolling out nationally to all but two police force areas.
	The following independent evaluations have been undertaken for the Department into the effectiveness of the programme and are available in the Library of the House, and on the Department's website:
	"A cost recovery system for speed and red-light cameras—two year pilot evaluation" 11 February 2003), and
	"The national safety camera programme—Three year evaluation report" (15 June 2004).
	A fourth-year evaluation report will be published shortly.
	The rules governing the national safety camera programme require surplus revenue to be passed to the Consolidated Fund.

Traffic Accidents

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were involved in traffic accidents in each of the last five years in (a) England and (b) Forest of Dean constituency; and what the mortality rate was in each year.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on the number of people that were involved in traffic accidents is not available. However, the number of casualties that resulted from personal injury road accidents and the fatality rate per 100,000 population in accidents are given in the table.
	
		
			  (a) Number of casualties(23) (b) Fatalities in personal road injury accidents per 100,000 population 
			  England Parliamentary constituency(24) Forest of Dean England Parliamentary constituency(24)(25) Forest of Dean 
			  Fatal All Fatal All Rate Rate 
		
		
			 2000 2,915 285,721 10 425 5.9 11.9 
			 2001 2,916 279,678 11 474 5.9 13.1 
			 2002 2,980 269,020 9 453 6.0 10.7 
			 2003 3,004 257,899 10 445 6.0 11.9 
			 2004 2,714 248,762 11 477 5.4 13.1 
		
	
	(23) Killed, serious and slightly injured casualties in personal injury road accidents.
	(24) The casualties are those which resulted from personal injury road accidents with the 2004 boundary of the Forest of Dean constituency.
	(25) Mid year 2002 population estimates for the constituency of Forest of Dean has been used to calculate the fatality rate.

Teachers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many teachers in Northern Ireland left the profession in the last five years after (a) less than 10 years and (b) between 10 and 15 years.

Angela Smith: The information is as follows.
	
		Number of teachers in Northern Ireland who have left the profession in Northern Ireland after (a) less than 10 years and (b) between 10 and 15 years
		
			  Number of teachers 
		
		
			 Less than 10 years 932 
			 Between 10 and 15 years 102 
			 Total 1,034 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The figures supplied are based on permanent teachers employed in primary and secondary schools in Northern Ireland since April 1987 who left the profession after (a) less than 10 years and (b) between 10 and 15 years.
	2. Excludes teachers who commenced service on or before 1 April 1987.
	3. Excludes teachers with a retirement indicator against their record.
	4. Excludes substitute/temporary and part-time teachers and those employed in voluntary grammar and FE colleges.
	5. Service has been calculated from pay history, on the basis of permanent pay type only and excludes any periods that a teacher was on unpaid leave.

Anthrax Vaccines

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research has been commissioned on the effects on British forces of anthrax vaccines.

Don Touhig: A research project published under the title "Adverse Medical Events in British Service Personnel Following the Anthrax Vaccination" (J. Enstone, M. Wale, J. Nguyen-Van-Tarn & J. Pearson—Vaccine 2003, 21:1348–1354) was funded by the Ministry of Defence and endorsed by the Advisory Group on Medical Countermeasures. The MOD had no editorial input into the conduct, methodology or findings of this study—the editorial rights to the study belong to the University of Nottingham Medical School. The study concluded that the anthrax vaccine is a safe vaccine with minimal side effects.
	The anthrax vaccine is a MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) licensed medical product and therefore fully satisfies the responsible UK regulatory body in matters of vaccine safety and efficacy.

Armed Forces (Morale)

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of morale in the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: holding answer 12 December 2005
	The most recent Continuous Attitude Surveys, conducted by the Services in 2004 and 2005, show the following responses on morale:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Royal Navy Officers Royal Navy Ratings Royal Marine Officers Royal Marine Other Ranks 
		
		
			 Good and Very Good 58.3 43.8 78.2 63.9 
			 Average 28.8 31.9 17.4 21.8 
			 Poor and Very Poor 12.9 22.8 4.3 13.2 
			 Unanswered — 1.4 — 1.0 
		
	
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Army Officers Army Other Ranks RAF Officers RAF Air men/women 
		
		
			 High and Very High 69 57 49 41 
			 Neither High nor Low 22 25 31 32 
			 Low and Very Low 10 18 20 27 
		
	
	The latest Survey was published in October 2005 and is available on the MOD Freedom of Information website. Copies are also held in the Library of the House.
	Ministers and Chiefs of Staff remain fully committed to maintaining and improving morale in all the Services.

Underwater Storage

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the Checkmate underwater storage system devised by International Underwater Storage Ltd of Balcombe, West Sussex.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has given the "Checkmate" system careful consideration. However, at present we have no requirement for it. The threat that might be posed by a system like "Checkmate" has also been assessed.

US Air Force

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the arrangements are under which the US Air Force operates in the United Kingdom; and whether there is a legal agreement covering those arrangements.

Adam Ingram: The presence of the United States Visiting Force (USVF) in the United Kingdom is at the invitation of the UK Government. The legal basis for the USVF's UK presence is primarily the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) of 1951 and the Visiting Forces Act of 1952. These establish the legal status of the USVF and its personnel in the UK and help to maintain the relationship that exists between the UK and the US for the purposes of our common defence.

CDC/Actis Capital

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list CDC/Actis Capital-funded (a) new investments and (b) disposals in (i) agribusiness, (ii) telecoms, (iii) infrastructure, (iv) minerals, oil and gas, (v) financial institutions, (vi) education and health sectors, (vii) retail and (viii) energy in each year since 1999, broken down by country.

Hilary Benn: I have arranged for the document entitled, "List of CDC's New Investments and Disposals 1999–2004", which gives the information requested, to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Central Asia

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much UK bilateral aid he expects will be allocated to (a) Kyrgyzstan, (b) Tajikistan, (c) Uzbekistan, (d) Armenia, (e) Georgia and (f) Moldova between 2005–06 and 2007–08.

Gareth Thomas: For the financial year 2005–06, UK bilateral aid allocations are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 (a) Kyrgyzstan: 5.6 million 
			 (b) Tajikistan: 3 million 
			 (c) Uzbekistan: 750,000 
			 (d) Armenia: 3.2 million 
			 (e) Georgia: 3 million 
			 (f) Moldova: 2.5 million 
		
	
	We have also committed £50,000 to Azerbaijan to support the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and £30,000 to Kazakhstan for residual activities, following the closure of our bilateral programme there earlier this year.
	In addition to this, the UK is providing £4.52 million of bilateral aid through a regional programme in Central Asia to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS.
	DFID's total planning figures for these countries are £20 million for 2006–07 and £22.5 million for 2007–08. Specific country allocations for those years are currently being finalised.

HIV/AIDS

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the United States on (a) the promotion of abstinence as a means of tackling HIV/AIDS in developing countries and (b) the effectiveness of this approach in assisting developing countries to slow the spread of the disease.

Gareth Thomas: I am in regular contact with the US Global AIDS Co-ordinator, Ambassador Randall Tobias, and there is established dialogue at both international and country level between UK and US colleagues. The UK and the US are the two largest bilateral donors on AIDS and have shared views on a range of key issues. For example, together we have emphasised the importance of county ownership for more effective national responses, by securing the 'Three Ones' harmonisation principles and developing the recommendations of the Global Task Team on Improving AIDS Co-ordination among Multilateral Institutions and International Donors. The UK maintained close dialogue with the US to secure the agreements made at Gleneagles and the World summit on getting as close as possible to Universal Access to AIDS Treatment by 2010.
	The US does have different policies from the UK in a number of areas related to international development, including on some HIV prevention issues. We have different policy positions on issues including promotion of abstinence, sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as access to clean needles and syringes as harm reduction measures. We have made the US aware of our views, yet we do, as we always have, continue to work with them to tackle HIV and AIDS.
	There has been discussion of these different views both bilaterally and in global meetings. The UK encouraged the US to adopt the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) policy position paper "Intensifying HIV prevention", agreed at the UNAIDS Programme Co-ordinating Board (PCB) in June 2005. This is an excellent basis for action, stressing the importance of countries implementing the most effective, comprehensive prevention programmes.
	The UK remains committed to accelerating action on prevention. Globally, less than one person in five has access to basic HIV prevention services. This 'prevention gap' is fuelling the spread of HIV. Improving comprehensive HIV prevention services has never been more important, and this is what DFID supports—not abstinence-only programmes.
	As EU President, we steered and secured agreement on the first EU-wide policy Statement on HIV Prevention. This Statement was launched by the Secretary of State on the eve of World AIDS Day 2005. It affirms the commitment of all European member states to comprehensive, evidence-based HIV prevention programming, including:
	Universal access to sexual and reproductive health information and services;
	Provision of harm reduction programmes and supplies to drug users to prevent transmission of HIV through dirty needles;
	Challenging and combating HIV-related stigma and discrimination through legislation, awareness campaigns and education;
	Providing universal access to prevention services, including voluntary counselling and testing for HlV;
	Reliable access to essential Sexual and Reproductive Health commodities including condoms (male and female) and kits for the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and to essential harm reduction commodities including clean needles and syringes; and
	Continued support to the research and development of new prevention technologies including microbicides and vaccines.
	The UK will continue to work closely with our US counterparts on tackling the global AIDS crisis.

Sugar Regime

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what steps he will take to ameliorate the impact of European Union reforms to the sugar sector on Caribbean sugar producing nations;
	(2)  what steps he will take to ensure the EU provides sufficient funds to meet the restructuring needs of (a) Jamaica, (b) Guyana and (c) Belize arising out of the reduction in sugar prices set for the next four years.

Gareth Thomas: We are working to ameliorate the impact of the EU reforms to the sugar industry by providing support for development of the national sugar action plans and by pressing for an appropriate amount of EU transitional assistance.
	It is important that each country's sugar action plans sets a clear framework for donor support and private sector investment. DFID is supporting five of the six sugar protocol countries in the Caribbean (Belize, Jamaica, St, Kitts and Nevis, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago) in the development of these plans and will shortly be providing technical assistance to Barbados as well. We will also ensure that, where possible, our ongoing bilateral support to Jamaica and Guyana, and our work with Caribbean regional organisations, respond to the needs created by the sugar reform.
	DFID, as part of a wider UK Government effort, continues to do all it can to push for an adequate transitional assistance package for those countries affected by the EU reduction in sugar prices. We funded a study to estimate the impact of EU sugar reform on the sugar protocol countries, and through our support for the action plans are helping to identify the financing needs for each country. Lobbying of other member states is likely to secure an initial €40 million for 2006. DFID will continue to play an active role in the wider UK efforts to lobby both member states and the European Commission to ensure adequate levels of transitional assistance for the period 2007–13.
	We will also be exploring, with other Government Departments, how we might help promote inward investment to the sugar producing countries.

Departmental Guidance (Evidence/Documentary Access)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is with regard to (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department giving evidence to the (i) Scottish Parliament, (ii) National Assembly for Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland Assembly committees; and to what categories of document she gives (A) full access, (B) restricted access and (C) no access to (1) the Scottish Parliament, (2) National Assembly for Wales, (3) Northern Ireland Assembly and (4) House of Commons select committees.

David Lammy: Requests for the attendance of Ministers or officials to give evidence to the devolved legislatures, and for the provision of information to the assemblies, will be considered on a case by case basis. The consideration will reflect: the principles set out in the Cabinet Office guidance Departmental Evidence and response to Select Committees (July 2005); the policy outlined in the Department for Constitutional Affairs' Devolution Guidance Note 12 Attendance of UK Ministers and Officials of Information Act. The principles underlying the provision of at Committees of the devolved legislature; and the requirements of the Freedom information to House of Commons Select Committee are set out in Departmental Evidence and response to Select Committees, particularly sections 4B and 4C.

Academy Schools

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills at what point in establishment of a sponsored academy school the sponsor's £2 million contribution has to be paid; if she will list the academy schools which have been established; and what (a) the total committed by each sponsor, (b) the total paid by that sponsor to date, (c) the total contributed by Government to date and (d) the total estimated public funding to come is in each case.

Jacqui Smith: Academies' sponsors make their financial contribution within the timescale agreed with the Secretary of State through the Funding Agreement for each project. The information requested is shown in the following table. The third column records where we have clear evidence from the Academy Trust that a sponsor's contribution has been spent—there will be additional funding from the sponsor which has been provided to the Trust but not yet spent by them, or where the Department has not yet received evidence of that expenditure.
	
		
			 £000 
			 Academy Total committed by sponsor Total evidence of use of sponsor contributions to end of November 2005 Total contributed by DfES to date Total estimated public funding to come 
		
		
			 Bexley 2,410 947 28,770 4 
			 Greig 2,000 1,375 14,479 0 
			 Unity 2,000 1,680 18,689 (29)-99 
			 Capital City, Brent 2,000 1,993 24,928 66 
			 City of London 2,000 1,097 31,065 620 
			 Manchester 2,000 336 18,723 (29)-937 
			 Peckham 2,000 1,018 26,660 1,160 
			 City Academy, Bristol 2,599 1,666 25,045 23 
			 Kings 2,000 2,000 20,301 0 
			 Walsall 2,500 2,062 15,707 14 
			 West London, Ealing 2,000 1,700 26,410 2,753 
			 Lambeth 2,000 1,000 24,319 (29)-873 
			 London, Barnet 1,500 1,191 16,536 10,263 
			 Mossbourne 2,150 1,704 25,824 0 
			 Northampton 2,000 624 25,212 147 
			 Stockley 2,000 431 21,734 2,076 
			 St Francis of Assisi 2,000 950 16,196 (29)-1,000 
			 Marlowe 2,462 1,462 11,510 13,558 
			 Macmillan 1,250 0 835 10,949 
			 St Paul's Greenwich 2,000 200 5,729 23,460 
			 The Harefield 1,500 42 4,055 20,864 
			 Dixons CTC 651 200 1,804 4,055 
			 Djanogly 0 250 21,197 329 
			 Trinity, Doncaster 2,000 1,734 20,698 2,071 
			 Haberdashers Hatcham 705 0 2,320 4,021 
			 Haberdashers Knights 296 0 11,634 28,451 
			 Salford 1,600 0 5,108 8,345 
			 Total 47,623 25,662 465,488 130,320 
		
	
	(29) Subject to separate agreements. The sponsor will complete their contribution at a later stage of the building project with recovery by DfES.
	Note:
	Academies listed in order of opening.

Departmental Expenditure

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the expenditure by her Department was on centrally financed local initiatives in (a) Essex, (b) Hertfordshire and (c) Southend West constituency in each of the last six years for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The following table shows the expenditure incurred by the Department in Essex and Hertfordshire. The Department cannot give figures for Southend West constituency because it does not hold information on funding at constituency level; instead we have provided information for Southend-on-Sea.
	In addition to centrally financed local initiatives, local authorities also receive formula funding from ODPM for schools and children's services. These figures are not included in the following table. In the schools sector there have been regular transfers between the grants paid by the Department and formula funding paid by ODPM.
	
		Amount spent by DfES on centrally financed local initiatives(30)(31)
		
			 £ million 
			  1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Essex 43.53 113.63 104.55 143.48 140.35 159.56 
			 Hertfordshire 31.19 77.93 83.14 111.46 105.11 139.33 
			 Southend-on-Sea 4.96 15.79 18.74 21.79 24.48 29.32 
		
	
	(30) Centrally financed local initiatives are taken to be specific programmes funded directly by the Department and exclude funding for schools and children's social services paid through ODPM.
	(31) Excludes payments made by NDPBs which could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

School Nurses

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools within Normanton constituency have a school nurse providing practical advice on preventing and dealing with teenage pregnancy; and whether she plans to increase the number of schools with such nurses.

Beverley Hughes: All four mainstream high schools within Normanton constituency (Normanton Freeston high school, Ossett Technology college, Outwood Grange college of technology, and Horbury school), the hospital school (Pinderfields and Pontefract hospital school), and the special school for students of secondary school age (Highfield school), have access to a school nurse for approximately half a day a week.
	The recent Public Health White Paper: "Choosing Health", recognises the important contribution that school nurses can play in improving young people's health and calls for a new and relevant role for school nurses on a wider scale than in recent years.
	We are, therefore, providing new funding so that by 2010 every primary care trust (PCT)—working with children's trusts and local authorities—will be resourced to have at least one, full-time, year round, qualified school nurse working with each cluster of primary schools and their related secondary school, taking account of health needs and school populations.

Schools Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average amount spent on (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils was in each of the last 30 years at today's prices.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 12 December 2005
	The available information is contained within the following table. We do not have comparable information for earlier years:
	
		School based expenditure1, 2, 3 per pupil(33) in local authority maintained primary and secondary schools
		
			 £ per pupil 
			  Primary(35) Pre-primary/primary(35) Secondary 
		
		
			 2003–04 2,810 n/a 3,620 
			 2002–03(34) 2,650 n/a 3,380 
			 
			 2001–02 2,690 2,780 3,410 
			 2000–01 2,450 2,520 3,130 
			 1999–2000(35)(36) 2,250 2,300 2,930 
			 
			 1999–2000(35)(36) 2,250 2,300 2,930 
			 1998–99(37) n/a 2,140 2,800 
			 1997–98(37) n/a 2,040 2,780 
			 1996–97 n/a 2,100 2,840 
			 1995–96 n/a 2,120 2,880 
			 1994–95 n/a 2,140 2,930 
			 1993–94 n/a 2,110 2,930 
			 1992–93 n/a 2,090 3,030 
		
	
	n/a = Figures are not available.
	(32) School based expenditure includes only expenditure incurred directly by local authority schools. This includes the pay of teachers and school-based support staff, school premises costs, books and equipment, and certain other supplies and services, less any capital items funded from recurrent spending and income from sales, fees and charges and rents and rates. This excludes the central cost of support services such as home to school transport, local authority administration and the financing of capital expenditure.
	(33) The expenditure data to 1998–99 are drawn from the annual RO1 spending returns which local authorities submitted to the ODPM. Figures for 1999–2000 to 2001–02 are drawn from Section 52 (Table 3) Outturn statements which local authorities submitted to the DfES. Figures for 2002–03 onwards are taken from Section 52 (Table A) Outturn statements. The change in sources is shown by the blank row. The pupil data are drawn from the DfES Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis.
	(34) From 2002–03 the calculation is broadly similar to the calculation in previous years. However, 2001–02 and earlier years includes all premature retirement compensation (PRC) and Crombie payments, mandatory PRC payments and other indirect employee expenses, while from 2002–03 only the schools element of these categories is included. In 2001–02 this accounted for approximately £70 per pupil of the England total, while the schools element of these categories accounted for approximately £50 per pupil of the England total in 2002–03. Also, for some LAs, expenditure that had previously been attributed to the school sectors was reported within the LA part of the form from 2002–03 and would therefore be excluded, though this is not quantifiable from existing sources.
	(35) Expenditure was not distinguished between the pre-primary and primary sectors until the inception of Section 52 for financial year 1999–2000.
	(36) The expenditure data for 1999–2000 onwards reflect the return of grant maintained schools to local authority maintenance.
	(37) Spending in 1997–98 reflects the transfer of monies from local government to central Government for the nursery vouchers scheme. These were returned to local government from 1998–99.
	Notes:
	1. Cash figures are adjusted to 2004–05 prices using December 2005 Gross Domestic Product Deflators.
	2. Figures are as reported by the LEA in real terms (2004–05 prices) and rounded to the nearest £10.

Secondary Schools (Storage)

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many secondary schools in England have failed to reach the minimum standards regarding the provision of storage facilities in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: The Department for Education and Skills does not set minimum standards for storage facilities in secondary schools. It does, however, in "Building Bulletin 98: Briefing framework for Secondary School Projects" (BB98), offer guidance on storage areas for secondary schools.
	No comparison has been made, within the last five years, between the existing amount of storage in secondary schools and that recommended in BB98.

Secondary Schools (Storage)

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures she is taking to improve the provision of storage facilities at secondary schools in England.

Jacqui Smith: The Department has produced guidance in the form of "Building Bulletin 98: Briefing Framework for Secondary School Projects" (BB98) that gives recommended standards for the provision of storage in secondary schools.
	The Department's Asset Management Plan, Suitability Assessment Method, enables the reporting and prioritising of any shortfall of storage where it has a direct impact on education, health and safety or security.
	The Department's Net Capacity Assessment Method records all spaces in schools including stores. With this data it is possible for schools and local authorities to compare existing storage areas with those recommended in BB98.
	The unprecedented level of funding being made available for secondary schools through Building Schools for the Future, Targeted Capital and other funding programmes should ensure that any identified shortfall in the provision of storage facilities in secondary schools can be rectified.

Bankruptcies

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many bankruptcies there have been in (a) Southend, (b) Essex, (c) Hertfordshire, (d) Greater London and (e) England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The regional breakdown available for the insolvency statistics is not directly comparable with standard administrative or electoral geographies. The insolvency "regions" are areas assigned to groups of Official Receivers and are based around the location of county courts where the cases are heard and of courts having jurisdiction over these. The county courts covered in Southend are Southend-on-Sea, Brentwood, Chelmsford, Maldon and Romford. The county courts covered in St. Albans are Amersham, Aylesbury, Harlow, High Wycombe, Hitchin, Luton, St. Albans and Watford. The county courts covered in London are Aldershot and Farnham, Barnet, Bloomsbury, Bloomsbury and Marylebone, Bow, Brentford, Bromley, Chingford, Clerkenwell, Croydon, Edmonton, Epsom, Guildford, Kingston-Upon-Thames, Lambeth, Marylebone, Mayor's and City of London, Reigate, Sevenoaks, Shoreditch, Staines, Wandsworth, West London, Westminster, Willesden and Woolwich. The county courts covered in Croydon are Aldershot and Farnham, Bromley, Croydon, Epsom, Guildford, Kingston-Upon-Thames, Reigate, Sevenoaks, Staines and Woolwich.
	Figures for England and Wales are provided as follows, together with those for Official Receivers offices whose coverage is closest to the regions requested. The statistics below national level should not be considered to be a reliable measure of bankruptcies in those regions listed in the question and should, therefore, be interpreted with caution.
	
		Numbers of individual bankruptcies recorded over the last 10 financial years, April 1995 to April 2005
		
			 Official receivers office 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Southend 822 744 637 624 591 614 574 510 847 1,091 
			 St. Albans 818 744 678 653 660 622 676 737 845 1,224 
			 London and Croydon 3,100 2,656 2,558 2,315 2,220 2,135 2,249 2,667 3,335 4,910 
			 England and Wales 22,186 21,058 19,713 20,508 21,479 21,961 23,426 25,177 29,633 37,562

Royal Mail

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much (a) share capital was received and (b) investment made by the Government in relation to the Royal Mail in each year for which figures are available since 1997.

Barry Gardiner: The Government have not received any share capital from Royal Mail since 1997.
	There was no significant funding for the Post Office Corporation prior to 1999, but since then the Government have invested in the company.
	Royal Mail
	In December 2002, it was agreed to make available £1,044 million of securities to enable Royal Mail to deliver its renewal plan.
	Post Office Ltd.
	Government support of almost £2 billion in total has been made available to Post Office Ltd since 1999. Other than support for the rural network at £150 million per year for three years from 2003–04, this funding was not allocated on a yearly basis.
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 Horizon IT project 480 
			 Contribution to "Your Guide" project 25 
			 Support for the rural network to 2006 450 
			 Community post office support 2 
			 Support for urban network reinvention 210 
			 Deprived urban schemes in England 15 
			 Repayment of historic debt (to April 2003) (39)726 
			 (39) To Royal Mail  
		
	
	The Government have also decided to extend support to the rural network for two further years to 2008, worth another £300 million. This is subject to state aid clearance.

Commission for Integration

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2005, Official Report, column 430W, on the Commission for Integration, which faith leaders and key stakeholders were contacted by him on 21 September 2005; and what assessment he has made of the responses he has received.

Paul Goggins: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary wrote to the following faith leaders and key stakeholders on 21 September 2005:
	Bishop of Stepney,
	Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor,
	Iqbal Sacranie-Muslim Council of Britain,
	Dr Zaki Badawi-Muslim College, London,
	Jasdev Singh Rai-British Sikh Consultative Forum,
	Anil Bhanot-Hindu Council,
	Joel Edwards-Evangelical Alliance,
	Ramesh Kallidai-Hindu Forum,
	Indarjit Singh-Network of Sikh Organisations,
	Henry Grunwald-Board of Deputies of British Jews,
	Om Parkesh Sharma-National Organisation of Sikh Temples,
	Trevor Phillips-Commission for Racial Equality.
	The Home Secretary is giving careful consideration to all the views he has received and to nominations for membership of the Commission.
	The Home Secretary considers it very important that he gets the shape of the Commission right from the outset and is thinking very carefully about its direction. He hopes to be in a position to make an announcement on the way ahead soon.

Crystal Meth

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the (a) use of and (b) supply of and the risks for recreational drug users from crystal meth.

Paul Goggins: The use and supply of methylamphetamine in the United Kingdom is estimated to be very low based on the number and size of seizures. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) published a report on methylamphetamine on 17 November 2005; they recognised the potentially serious harms of taking methylamphetamine to the individual but the overall risk to users remained low given the very limited prevalence. The ACMD also recommended the development of an early warning system centred on ensuring those agencies collecting data on illicit drugs make the distinction between amphetamine and methylamphetamine when recording data. The ACMD recommended the closer monitoring of certain sub groups such as clubbers who are more likely to use methylamphetamine and agreed the subject of methylamphetamine should be a standing agenda item at the ACMD Technical Committee. It was also recommended action should be taken to impose tighter controls on methylamphetamine's precursors to prevent the spread of its misuse. The Government have accepted all the ACMD's recommendations. The ACMD undertook to provide an update to its advice in 12 month's time.

Offences against the Person

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) section 18 and (b) section 20 offences were committed in Essex in each year since 2000; and how many convictions were secured in each year.

Hazel Blears: The number of offences recorded for 'more serious wounding or other act endangering life' and 'less serious wounding' on the requested basis, are given in the table. Offences specifically relating to sections 18 and 20 cannot be separately identified in the recorded crime series.
	
		Table 1: Number of offences recorded by Essex police, between 1999–2000 and 2001–02
		
			 Offence Number of offences 
			  1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 More serious wounding or other act endangering life 91 233 247 
			 Less serious wounding 3,171 3,362 3,331 
		
	
	Note:
	The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	
		Table 2: Number of offences recorded by Essex police, between 2002–03 and 2004–05
		
			 Offence Number of offences 
			  2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 More serious wounding or other act endangering life 301 341 350 
			 Less serious wounding(45) (including any minor injury) 12,070 13,457 13,024 
		
	
	(45) The change in definition relating to resultant injury in common assaults and less serious woundings, which applies from 1 April 2002, is described in the 'Common Assault' text box in Chapter 5 of Home Office Statistical Bulletin 'Crime in England and Wales 2004–05'.
	Note:
	The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.
	Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of offenders found guilty for offences under sections 18 and 20 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861, for Essex Police Force Area 2000 to 2004 are provided in the table.
	
		Table 3: Number of offenders found guilty for selected offences related to 'wounding', Essex police force area, 2000–04(46)
		
			 Offence description/principal statute Found guilty 
		
		
			 Wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm/ Offences against the Person Act 1861 S.18  
			 2000 18 
			 2001 26 
			 2002 24 
			 2003 25 
			 2004 31 
			   
			 Malicious wounding—wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm/Offences against the Person Act 1861 S.20  
			 2000 59 
			 2001 54 
			 2002 65 
			 2003 63 
			 2004 60 
		
	
	(46) These data are provided on the principal offence basis.
	Source:
	RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform.
	Our ref IOS: 451–05

Police

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2005, Official Report, column 457W, what is the evidential base for his statement that police restructuring should be implemented as quickly as possible.

Hazel Blears: Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary clearly demonstrated in its report, "Closing the Gap" that the vast majority of forces in England and Wales were not providing adequate levels of protective services. In light of such findings it would be irresponsible for the Government not to act and ensure such gaps in services were filled in an effective way and as soon as possible.
	Furthermore, we do not want to subject the service to a prolonged period of uncertainty which could lead to loss of morale and distraction from their core task of protecting the public. We cannot allow that to happen to the police service so we need to press ahead as quickly as it is sensible to do so.

Police

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police communication systems are interoperable with the (a) local fire service and (b) ambulance service; and what plans he has to ensure that interoperability continues after the proposed amalgamation of police forces.

Hazel Blears: Airwave is the new radio communications system for the police service in England, Wales and Scotland. Officers across the country using the network are able to communicate directly with each other, regardless of location. The other emergency services are currently updating their radio communication networks on a national basis and have agreed to join the Airwave service. When their new systems are fully operational their communications systems will interoperate seamlessly with the police network. Existing interoperability arrangements on the old radios used by the services will be maintained until the new systems are fully operational. The proposed amalgamation of police forces will have no effect on these arrangements.

Schedule 1 Offenders

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent estimate is of the number of Schedule 1 offenders who are at liberty.

Hazel Blears: A conviction or caution for an offence listed in Schedule 1 to the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 triggers further assessments of risk, by agencies such as the police, probation and prison services and local authority social services, and is used to identify individuals who may pose a risk to children. Practitioners exercise their professional judgement in such assessments and appreciate that not all convicted or cautioned individuals will necessarily pose a continued risk to children and that there are cases where a person without a conviction or caution may pose such a risk.
	The offences listed in Schedule 1 range from murder to "any . . . offence involving bodily injury to a child or young person". To calculate the number of people who have committed an offence involving bodily injury to a child or young person and who are currently living in the community could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Urban Taskforce Reports

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department is taking to implement the recommendations of Lord Rogers' Urban Task Force reports of 1998 and 2005.

Yvette Cooper: In 1998 Government asked Lord Rogers of Riverside to set up the Urban Task Force to examine causes of urban decline and recommend practical solutions to identified problems. The task force's report "Towards an Urban Renaissance" was published in June 1999. The Government endorsed the principles behind all of the 105 recommendations, which were fed in to the development of the Government's Urban White Paper. This White Paper, "Our Towns and Cities: the future—Delivering an Urban Renaissance", was published in November 2000 and incorporated the majority of the task force's recommendations. An annex to the White Papers lists specific responses to each Urban Task Force's recommendation.
	Significant progress has been made in implementing all of the measures in the White Paper. An implementation plan reporting on progress made between 2000 and 2003 is available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website.
	These achievements have since been built on by the Government's Sustainable Communities Plan, launched in February 2003. This plan sets out a clear set of objectives and actions for the long term development of sustainable communities. It takes forward ideas developed in the Urban Task Force's report and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's subsequent White Paper, creating a robust framework and action plan for delivery.
	More recently, Lord Rogers reconvened the task force and prepared an independent follow-up report, "Towards a Strong Urban Renaissance", published on 22 November 2005. As he acknowledges in his foreword to this report,
	"for the first time in 50 years there has been a measurable change of culture in favour of towns and cities, reflecting a nationwide commitment to the Urban Renaissance."
	Lord Rogers highlighted how this Government's urban policies have resulted in English cities becoming the "powerhouses" of the UK economy and have become centres for cultural innovation that stand confidently on the international stage.
	Government welcome the contribution that "Towards a Strong Urban Renaissance" makes to the continuing and evolving debate on how best to sustain this success. We are currently considering the report and its 53 recommendations, and are exploring how these can best inform our existing and substantive agenda of work already under way to develop world-class, well-designed and sustainable towns and cities that satisfy the demands of residents, workers and visitors alike. The vitality of our towns and cities is an important priority for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and the work under way includes the State of the Cities Report. This is a report to Government from a group of city experts led by Professor Michael Parkinson, due to be published in January 2006 alongside other research and analysis undertaken by the Department such as the findings of the first eight City Summits and research findings from the Framework for City Regions study.

Departmental Staff

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how many staff are employed by his Department in each (a) region and (b) nation of the UK; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of each civil service grade in his Department is located in each (a) region and (b) nation of the UK; what the average salary is for each grade; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the value is of (a) pay supplements, (b) bonuses and (c) other incentive packages that are payable in his Department on the basis of geographic location; how many people are in receipt of each payment; and what the total cost to his Department of each payment was in 2004–05.

Ian Pearson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) employs approximately 6,000 UK based staff. At any one time, approximately 2,000 staff work in the FCO's buildings in London and about 1,200 at Hanslope Park, near Milton Keynes. Until 31 March 2005 there were separate sets of pay scales for UK based staff working in London and overseas and for those in other parts of the UK. There were, however, no incentive payments as such. Since 1 April 2005 all staff have been on the same pay scale but there is a location allowance of £3,000 for staff working in London.
	The average salary for each grade in the FCO for 2004–05, the latest figures available, are in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			 Grade Average salary 
		
		
			 Al London 14,281 
			 A2 London 17,761 
			 B3 London 21,686 
			 C4 London 26,356 
			 C5 London 32,274 
			 D6 London 41,275 
			 D7 London 50,307 
			 Al National 12,388 
			 A2 National 14,751 
			 B3 National 18,629 
			 C4 National 24,659 
			 C5 National 31,712 
			 D6 National 38,857 
			 D7 National 44,955 
			 SMS1 63,062 
			 SMS2 81,694 
			 SMS3 101,631 
			 SMS4 134,732